Over the course of the next three months, I’ll be offering up thirty-two contributions to NFL’s Future; each one detailing every NFL teams’ free agency/cap situation, offensive/defensive schemes, recent free agency/draft trends, and areas of weakness, so that we may have an idea of what each team’s shopping list might look like by the beginning of the Free Agency signing period in March. Let’s kick things off in the AFC East, with the Buffalo Bills.
Notable 2013 Unrestricted Free Agents: OLG Andy Levitre, CB/KR Leodis McKelvin, FS Jairus Byrd
Notable 2014 Unrestricted Free Agents: TE Scott Chandler, C Eric Wood, LDT Marcell Dareus, WLB Nick Barnett
Potential 2013 Cap Casualties: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB Fred Jackson, WR Brad Smith, ORT Erik Pears, DE Chris Kelsay, RDE Mark Anderson, CB Terrence McGee, SS George Wilson
Offensive Scheme: Curtis Modkins is the offensive coordinator in title only. This is Chan Gailey’s show. Gailey’s attack features a quick-hitting spread that’s designed to get the ball out of the QB’s hands quickly and get the playmakers in space. In the running game, Gailey is able to exploit spread-out defenses with a healthy diet of draws and traps. Gailey’s attack has been hamstrung by Fitzpatrick’s physical limitations and the continuing absence of a viable deep threat; opposing safeties are too often able to cheat toward the line in anticipation of the run or screen game.